5 reasons to spend... An Evening with Ray Mears

The TV survival expert is on a UK tour to promote his new book, My Outdoor Life

1 He’s bringing the outdoors indoorsTitled An Evening with Ray Mears: The Outdoor Life, this theatre show / opportunity to flog a few copies of his book My Outdoor Life sees this bushcraft and survival technique expert discussing his life in the world’s wildernesses, surviving off the land with only an ITV camera crew to eat if things get really hairy.

3 You’ll find out how to become a bushcraft expertOr how Ray did it, anyway. Raised in the North Downs, he spent his childhood tracking foxes into the forest and improvising his own tents for camping trips because he couldn’t afford a proper one. The lessons of his judo teacher, a man who fought in Burma in World War II, did the rest, passing on to Ray the value of ‘maximum efficiency from minimum effort’. A lesson we can all learn from.

4 He’s a success despite his nameNothing wrong with plain but dependable Ray Mears, you might think. Not when your arch rival’s a guy called Bear Grylls.

5 You’ll learn how to stock an airtight basement room with tinned goods and high calibre firearmsYou won’t. A survivalist is something else entirely.